1. The Browns made progress setting up a meeting between coach Eric Mangini and star defensive lineman Shaun Rogers. The two parties have been communicating, with the help of General Manager George Kokinis and Rogers' agent. Some of the tension has been eased. The plan is for both sides to have a long sit-down meeting soon.

2. The moment Mangini heard Rogers was upset that the two didn't talk at a recent sports banquet, he should have taken time to make a call or send an e-mail / text to Rogers -- just to say that it will be great to get to know each other, watch some film, talk about the team, etc. Mangini now wishes he had done so.

3. According to someone at the banquet, Rogers walked by as Mangini was talking to Tribe manager Eric Wedge. Mangini's back was to Rogers and he didn't see the 360-pounder. Mangini did not intentionally slight Rogers. He was not even aware Rogers was supposed to be at the banquet, as the coach made a brief appearance to hand out an award and then went back to the office, where he was in the midst of assembling his new coaching staff.

Thomas Ondrey/The Plain DealerEric Mangini (center right) didn't know that his appearance at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards banquet on Jan. 21 (with Jim Nantz, center left, and Danny Ferry, rear) would turn into such an important event in the current rift with nose tackle Shaun Rogers.

4. Mangini has been taking an odd stance of not wanting to talk to players, or at least that is the impression being given to some of his key players. Mangini would rather sit down and talk to players at length, but the coach needs to understand that a short call or e-mail is a good way to let the players know he is interested in them. This is the text-message, e-mail generation.

There is no relation between pro sports and the real world. These are millionaires in a bubble, they have been spoiled their entire professional lives. To them, special treatment is a perk of the job. Also, in real life, rarely does an employee earn more than the boss -- as is often the case in pro sports.

6. Money must be behind some of Rogers' unhappiness, especially as defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth just signed that outrageous 7-year, $100 million contract with Washington. It has $41 million guaranteed, and a staggering $32 million paid in the first 13 months. Rogers would love to hit the open market and try for a contract like that, which is why he would prefer the Browns cut him and pass on his $6 million roster bonus later this month and his salary of $2.4 million in 2009. His $6.9 million in 2010 also is guaranteed, meaning he has $15 million coming the next two seasons.

7. The Browns insist Rogers' agent has not made any demands about being released. That's because his contract runs five more years, and he can't demand anything. But it could have been suggested, because every player and agent would love to get a new contract whenever possible. The Browns insist they have no interest in releasing Rogers.

8. Rogers also wondered why the Browns were hard-balling him about his weight. He was in the 360-pound range all last season -- which is what the team asked. The Browns have since communicated to Rogers that they know he is in decent shape now, and they just want him to stay in condition.

9. No reasonable person can have issues with how Rogers performed last season. He played every game, played with a sore shoulder, a cranky knee and being double- and triple-teamed. The coaches were extremely impressed by Rogers on film. But there are concerns about other defensive linemen, especially as Corey Williams struggled switching from the 4-3 defense in Green Bay to the Browns' 3-4.

10. It's believed the Browns have reached out to Romeo Crennel. Mangini loves the former Browns coach, as does Rogers. He is expected to help with this situation. So is new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who is thrilled with the idea of coaching Rogers. Ryan supposedly thinks he can get more out of Kamerion Wimbley, which will be critical to making the 3-4 defense work.

11. The Browns correctly believe the team needs more discipline. They want the players to know coaches are in charge, and they want a more structured approach to workouts, conditioning, etc. They also set a message with the Kellen Winslow deal that they don't want players who have contract issues to become a distraction.

12. Word out of the combine is the Browns do indeed like Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry, but that Curry was so impressive on and off the field that he's expected to be gone by the time the Browns pick at No. 5.

Seven things about the Indians ...

Matt York/Associated PressIf Josh Barfield can regain his batting stroke, his early work in the outfield suggests he might have found a new way to stay on the Indians' roster this spring.

1. The Indians have been extremely pleased with Josh Barfield in the outfield, especially in center, and he plays a solid second base. Before coming to the Indians, he was a .300 hitter in the minors and batted .280 (.741 OPS) with 32 doubles, 13 homers and 58 RBI for the Padres as a rookie in 2006. This guy always hit. . . . until he came here (.243 with the Tribe). He's only 26, maybe he starts to play like the Barfield who could hit in San Diego.

2. They should just cut Dave Dellucci at some point this spring. Yes, his contract is $4 million. But he's 35, often is hurt and doesn't hit. Keep Barfield and someone such as Trevor Crowe for outfield depth, and it would not cost the Indians anything extra besides Crowe's or another rookie's contract.

3. Victor Martinez has been hitting with authority, the Indians pleased to see that his power has returned after having elbow surgery last season. At 30, Martinez could have a monster season, especially if he plays a fair amount of first base, which will not put as much pressure on his body.

4. If I had to pick, Aaron Laffey wins a spot in the rotation before Jeremy Sowers or Scott Lewis. His first outing was impressive. Sowers threw up to 91 mph in his start, but there remained the "separation" problem of not enough velocity between his fastball and change-up. That means his change-up too often looks like a bad fastball rather than being slow enough to throw off the timing of the hitter.

5. Great to see Mark DeRosa hammer a homer in the opener, but even better to see a compact swing from the right-handed hitter. Over the past three years -- when he emerged as a regular in Texas, then the Cubs -- DeRosa has been a .312 hitter against lefties, .283 against righties, .304 at home, .278 on the road. Having played in Wrigley Field and Texas helps those home stats, but his numbers on the road and against all types of pitching show he is a reliable hitter.

6. Matt LaPorta has been impressive early in camp with some hits in exhibition games -- including a homer -- and respectable play in left field. They kept pushing LaPorta to not try and pull everything, and he has been listening.

7. He won't start until next week, but the Indians are pleased with how Anthony Reyes has been throwing -- and showing no signs of the elbow problems that plagued him last season. Don't be surprised if he has a better season than Carl Pavano.

About the Cavaliers ...

Pat Sullivan/Associated PressThe Cavaliers all agree they'll miss Ben Wallace for the six weeks it will take to have his broken right fibula heal. But exactly how much will they miss him?

With Ben Wallace out for at least a month with a fractured leg, it's time to evaluate what he means to the team. The coaches talk about how he helps with team defense, especially against the pick-and-roll play. No stats can track that. They also mention that his lack of offense is not much of a negative, because the Cavs have so many other shooters on the court. It's only a real problem when Wallace and Anderson Varejao are on the court at the same time, because defenses can neglect both -- especially when they have the ball more than 10 feet from the basket.

Begin with this, Wallace is a huge upgrade over Larry Hughes because Wallace does not take as many bad shots or commit as many negative plays. When last year's whopper deal was being discussed, to trade Hughes to Chicago, the Cavs had to take Wallace. Good move that they did. Wallace as a plus / minus of 410, tied with Mo Williams for second best on the team behind LeBron James (656).

But at 34, Wallace is not the same athletic big man who was the two-time defensive Player of the Year in Detroit. His blocked shots, rebounds and steals are all down from his prime of 2000-06. He never could score, and is a career 42 percent free-throw shooter. At this stage, Wallace is a nice role player -- but not an impact player as he averages 3.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 24 minutes a night.

Which brings us to Varejao, who now must start at power forward in place of Wallace. In 17 starts this season, Varejao is averaging 10.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and shooting 52 percent in 34 minutes. The real key will be J.J. Hickson, as the rookie moves into Varejao's role as the first big man off the bench. Coach Mike Brown has been reluctant lately to use Hickson because of some defensive problems. But the kid from N.C. State oozes talent, and this can be a chance for him to show some of it.

It would be nice if the Cavs can find a way to bring back Joe Smith, but let's not turn Smith into Larry Nance in his prime. Smith brings depth and is a solid role player, but has trouble defending centers. That is where the Cavs will miss Wallace, because he is strong enough to deal with most big men despite being no taller than 6-8.

Who knows when the Cavs will have their full starting lineup of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West, James, Wallace and Williams on the court all healthy at the same time. But in the 30 games they did start, the Cavs were 26-4. When the starters faced starting fives from other teams, they outscored the opponents by 15 points. This is the unit that can contend for a title.

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